Is Benetiz sorting out Liverpool's problems?

[Seano]

In my opinion he is spending a lot of money, without tackling any of the problems from last season.
- He has paid a lot of money for another striker that does his best work outside the box and therefore won't score the 20 plus goals that he badly needs
- He has or is about to pay over the odds for an overrated Babel who is will just be another squad player and he's still left without a first choice left winger.
- He hasn't sorted out the problem of how to accomodate Alonzo. Either Gerrard should be told to play on the right or he should sell Alonzo and bring in a top class right winger, Benayoun is not a top class winger. I don't expect many people to agree with either of these two options, but tell me how else Alonzo will fit in the team as he's far too good a player to sit on the bench and squad rotation is one of the reasons I believe that make Liverpool inconsistant in the league.
- He is still buying squad players or players with potential when his only concern this season should be with players that can improve the first eleven.
- Also throw in the fact that his record for improving players is not too impressive either
Pessimistic maybe, given his champions league record, but I fear that another
mediocre league season could mean that this is Benitez's last season

[John83]

They'll do well in the CL again, and reasonably so in the league. They just can't score enough goals to match Man U and Chelsea, so short of one or both of them falling back a bit, Liverpool will be third again.

[superfrank]

One good thing would be he got rid of Bellamy. He's got a bad attitude and he might do well now and again but I do think he can have an adverse affect on the club he's at.

I don't think Benayoun is a winger. He's more a central attacking midfielder. He's a playmaker. I don't think Babel is overrated. Having seen him play for Ajax he does do a very good job. I think he'd be a good signing for the future. He'd certainly be worth it.

I think he'll have time more than til the end of the season.

[red rovers]

He has or is about to pay over the odds for an overrated Babel who is will just be another squad player and he's still left without a first choice left winger.


babel will do better for liverpool than nani will for united or malouda will for chelsea or da silva will for arsenal.

[Roadend]

Just on the ever so cliched "20 goal a season striker" point. Are you talking about the league? If so didn't Rooney get only 11/12 league goals last year.

[eirebhoy]

Benayoun's a great signing. He'll link up well with Alonso.

[Seano]

Benayoun's a great signing. He'll link up well with Alonso.

Whats the midfield four going to be with if Benayoun and Alonso are in the first 11?

[Seano]

Just on the ever so cliched "20 goal a season striker" point. Are you talking about the league? If so didn't Rooney get only 11/12 league goals last year.

Yes and United also recognoise the need to sign a goalscorer to play alongside him.

[fitzyjr]

hes spending way too much on strikers. and it looks like another is arriving- babel from ajax. has he bought anything apart from forwardsin my opinion, he needs to get rid of arbaloa

[Metrostars]

Yeah, Man Utd had a tough time scoring goals last season :p
And on Liverpool. How many players has Benitez gone though since the time he has been there?

[superfrank]

babel will do better for liverpool than nani will for united or malouda will for chelsea or da silva will for arsenal.
Malouda's a proven player. He's played for France, won the Frnech League and played in the Champion's League for the last four years.

I'd never even heard of Nani before.

I think da Silva has a good record for Croatia, iirc, so he's not totally untested.

[drinkfeckarse]

I've never been that impressed with Malouda regardless of the stats so I was glad he went to Chelsea rather than Liverpool. There aren't very many top class French left wingers about so just because he plays for the national team does not make him a great player.

Babel I don't know much about but I'm willing to trust Rafa's judgement. Big season for the team though no doubt.

[bellavistaman]

I think he is slowly pushin them the right way, hope not but its loking good for them, i think whatever way torres is going to go, good or bad,will decide their season.

[Roadend]

Malouda's a proven player. He's played for France, won the Frnech League and played in the Champion's League for the last four years.


Cisse was top scorer in France two years running...

[superfrank]

Cisse was top scorer in France two years running...
Yeah and then he was played out of position at Liverpool, without enough support. He scored on his debut, remember.

I've never been that impressed with Malouda regardless of the stats so I was glad he went to Chelsea rather than Liverpool. There aren't very many top class French left wingers about so just because he plays for the national team does not make him a great player.
There's quite a few: Rothen, Meriem, Monterubio. There just ones in the French league I can think of. I do believe he is a very good player. He was one of Lyon's best players last season when they, comparatively, struggled. I have no doubt he'll do well for Chelsea.

[Roadend]

Yeah and then he was played out of position at Liverpool, without enough support.


Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahaha

[bellavistaman]

He scored on his debut, remember.

Alot of players do, and do **** all from then on, diouf did and did nothing for liverpoool, like him with bolton though hes playin real well, cisse was ****.

[Seano]

Yeah, Man Utd had a tough time scoring goals last season :p
And on Liverpool. How many players has Benitez gone though since the time he has been there?

30 I reckon compared to 12 by united in the same period, but the amount of money spent is only around 10% less than utd, so I don't see your arguement there

[beautifulrock]

30 I reckon compared to 12 by united in the same period, but the amount of money spent is only around 10% less than utd, so I don't see your arguement there

A new manager will, of course, have a clear out when they arrive, it is a nonsence to compare the two teams over a limited period.

[drinkfeckarse]

There's quite a few: Rothen, Meriem, Monterubio. There just ones in the French league I can think of. I do believe he is a very good player. He was one of Lyon's best players last season when they, comparatively, struggled. I have no doubt he'll do well for Chelsea.

None of them are top class though. Rothen can produce a bit of magic now and again but is injury prone and inconsistent IMO.

[eirebhoy]

Whats the midfield four going to be with if Benayoun and Alonso are in the first 11?
Gerrard, Alonso, Benayoun and another.

[jebus]

Gerrard, Alonso, Benayoun and another.

Babel out left I reckon

[red rovers]

i think liverpool would be be best with 334 next season ........................................Reina..... .................................................. ..... Finnan............................................ ..Carragher....................................... ..................Risse........................... .................................................. ................................. .................................................. ...Gerrard........................................ ......Masherano................................... .........Alonso................................... ............................... .......................Benayoun................... .......................Pennant.................... ...............................Babel.............. .................................................. ............................... Torres

[drinkfeckarse]

I can't see Benayoun being used as anything other than a right wing option even though I know he does his best work in the middle. I cannot see him getting ahead of Alonso, Mascherano, Sissoko or Gerrard and are we forgetting abou the £8m that Rafa has shelled out for the Brazilian central midfielder (name escapes me at the moment)? Too much competition and too much quality in there.

I'm not convinced that Benayoun has enough quality to make an impact at Liverpool. He'll be like Bellamy, nice in flashes but otherwise doesn't have enough in his locker to be considered top drawer.

[red rovers]

I can't see Benayoun being used as anything other than a right wing option even though I know he does his best work in the middle. I cannot see him getting ahead of Alonso, Mascherano, Sissoko or Gerrard and are we forgetting abou the £8m that Rafa has shelled out for the Brazilian central midfielder (name escapes me at the moment)? Too much competition and too much quality in there.



leiva lucas

[Seano]

Gerrard, Alonso, Benayoun and another.

He's not going to drop Mascherano and if he does rest him he will play Sissoko

[red rovers]

i think liverpool would be be best with 334 next season ........................................Reina..... .................................................. ..... Finnan............................................ ..Carragher....................................... ..................Risse........................... .................................................. ................................. .................................................. ...Gerrard........................................ ......Masherano................................... .........Alonso................................... ............................... .......................Benayoun................... .......................Pennant.................... ...............................Babel.............. .................................................. ............................... Torres

ok not the best at putting the sqaud up:D:D. here it is gk reina rb finnan lb risse cb carragher cdm alonso cdm mascherano rw benayoun lw babel cam gerrard cam pennant and torres up front.

[gustavo]

I'd say he might go with something like this-
---------------Reina----------
Finnan-----Carragher---Agger---Riise

-----------Alonso-----Mascherano------

Babel---------Gerrard---------Benayoun

--------------Torres---------------


with Babel Gerrard and Benayoun interchangable

[eirebhoy]

I can't see Benayoun being used as anything other than a right wing option even though I know he does his best work in the middle. I cannot see him getting ahead of Alonso, Mascherano, Sissoko or Gerrard and are we forgetting abou the £8m that Rafa has shelled out for the Brazilian central midfielder (name escapes me at the moment)? Too much competition and too much quality in there.

I'm not convinced that Benayoun has enough quality to make an impact at Liverpool. He'll be like Bellamy, nice in flashes but otherwise doesn't have enough in his locker to be considered top drawer.
imo Benayoun is about on par with Nakamura and I rate Nakamura really highly, as plenty of people will know. If he's used right he could be a very influential player for Liverpool. With Alonso and Benayoun in the team Liverpool could pass teams off the park. They're both playmakers with great brains and I look forward to see them link up.

gustavo's team looks good. I'd say Mascherano, Alonso, Gerrard and Benayoun would work well together in midfield. Not a lot of real width but you could say the same about most of the world's best teams atm.

[Rovers fan]

Benayoun's a great signing. He'll link up well with Alonso.

dont think benayoun will start much. i didnt think he played great for west ham last seaon. alonso had a poor season also. I think babel is a good signing, im undecided over torres.

[Rovers fan]

reina
finnan carragher agger riise
gerrard alonso mascherano babbel
torres kuyt




i think he will play 2 strikers, why else would he have bought voronin as well as torres

[4tothefloor]

He hasn't sorted out the problem of how to accomodate Alonzo. Either Gerrard should be told to play on the right or he should sell Alonzo and bring in a top class right winger, Benayoun is not a top class winger. I don't expect many people to agree with either of these two options, but tell me how else Alonzo will fit in the team as he's far too good a player to sit on the bench and squad rotation is one of the reasons I believe that make Liverpool inconsistant in the league.

This will be Benitezs first team:

------------Reina-------------

Finnan---Agger---Carra---Aurelio

------Alonso---Mascherano----

-----------Gerrard-------------
Benayoun-----------------Babel

-----------Torres--------------

This is basically the way Rafa had his Valencia line up. He now has the players to do it at Liverpool. Mascherano will break things up, Alonso will control things, Benayoun/Pennant and Babel/Kewell will be playing out wide and supporting Torres, Gerrard will have licence to roam and an attacking midfield role. Alonso will not be on the bench. And with a bench that is going to contain the likes of Kuyt, Crouch, Sissoko, Leiva, Riise etc, things do look good. Torres needs to shine though......

[DmanDmythDledge]

I think Liverpool will push Chelsea for second place next year, and probably overtake them. Benitez now has the system that he wants (outlined by 4TTF) which was very successful for him at Valencia. It's been a good transfer window for Liverpool. The only problem still though is that they don't have a natural goalscorer, which will prevent them from challenging for the title.

[Piltownpossy]

Rafa has never had a record of working with out and out strikers although Mista did chip in with 19 goals in Valencias title winning season in 01/02.

I think we're more likely to see the likes of Kuyt, Crouch and Torres weighing in with 10- 12 gaols each with a sizeable chumnk of goals coming from midfield too.

As far as nailed down places go I'd say Reina, Finnan, Carra, Agger, SG, Alonso & Torres have nothing to worry about. All the others would be up for grabs with a lot of rotation up front.

From what I hear and read Aurelio will be lucky to play again given the injury he got last season.

As for Benayoun, I'd see him as a direct replacement for Garcia - the one to bring on when visitors to Anfield are just sitting back and we find it hard to break them down. I cant see him starting the majority of games.

The wings are the most interesting proposition for me and I feel his is where the title will be won or lost. Will he persevere with Kewell who looked like he was coming back to the good form he was attaining before injury? Will he give Pennant an extended opportunity or will Babel slot straight in?

Personally I'd love to see Babel thrown in. From what I've seen he should/could be a real success. Looking at clips, and from when I've seen him on the box he seems to be everything that Gonzalez was promised to be but nowhere near as lightweight.

[Steve Bruce]

This will be Benitezs first team:

------------Reina-------------

Finnan---Agger---Carra---Aurelio

------Alonso---Mascherano----

-----------Gerrard-------------
Benayoun-----------------Babel

-----------Torres--------------

This is basically the way Rafa had his Valencia line up. He now has the players to do it at Liverpool. Mascherano will break things up, Alonso will control things, Benayoun/Pennant and Babel/Kewell will be playing out wide and supporting Torres, Gerrard will have licence to roam and an attacking midfield role. Alonso will not be on the bench. And with a bench that is going to contain the likes of Kuyt, Crouch, Sissoko, Leiva, Riise etc, things do look good. Torres needs to shine though......

I have to say, that is a very good looking side.

Although I have to say, Benitez's style of play isn't really my cup of tea.

I prefare 2 flying wingers, 1 defensive midfielder, 1 attacking midfield, 2 strikers and a flat back four. Oh a goalkeeper is good to have to:D

[passinginterest]

I think Voronin will feature quite a bit. Always liked him when I've seen him. Can play wide and as a support striker, not an out and out goal scorer though. The signings mean a rotation policy should be very workable, without a major drop in performance. A lot of it will be down to attitude of the players. With the options available I'd hope for a major challenge. I'd say the squad has more depth than Man U or Chelsea.

[4tothefloor]

From what I hear and read Aurelio will be lucky to play again given the injury he got last season.
Not really, he's back training already. He'll just be a month behind everyone else cos they're not going to rush him back.


As for Benayoun, I'd see him as a direct replacement for Garcia - the one to bring on when visitors to Anfield are just sitting back and we find it hard to break them down. I cant see him starting the majority of games.

The wings are the most interesting proposition for me and I feel his is where the title will be won or lost. Will he persevere with Kewell who looked like he was coming back to the good form he was attaining before injury? Will he give Pennant an extended opportunity or will Babel slot straight in?
Benayoun v Pennent will be interesting. Benayoun is a floater who can play all across the midfield and off of the attack. Pennent is an out and out winger. Benitez will just chop and change to suit. I'd prefer to see Pennent get an extended run as I think he's about to become a really good player. Babel will be on the left for definate

[red rovers]

ok not the best at putting the sqaud up:D:D. here it is gk reina rb finnan lb risse cb carragher cdm alonso cdm mascherano rw benayoun lw babel cam gerrard cam pennant and torres up front.

know how to put it up now
..........................................Reina... .................................................. ..
........Finnan.........................Carragher.. .................................Risse........
................................Alonso............ ...Masherano..................................

............................................Gerrar d................................................. ..

.........................................Pennant.. .................................................
Benayoun.......................................... .......................................Babel....
..........................................Torres.. .................................................. ..